She Matters Too Conference

For the second year in a row I was a guest presenter at the She Matters Too Conference.  She Matters is a conference for young girls of all ages.  Its  aim is to provide them with the skills that they need to become healthy adults and to thrive as girls.  Life is particularly challenging for young girls today.  That is why it is important for them to have a safe place to go to make friends and to discuss what is on their minds.  It was a rewarding experience for all involved and the girls seemed to have a blast.

I, along with Miss Teen District of Columbia International Margo Huffman, participated in the sisterhood rap session.  Structured as a Q&A session, the girls were encouraged to talk about self esteem, school, friends and anything else that they wanted candid answers to.  Although the girls were encouraged to ask questions about anything , the main topic became  bullying.  Bullying is and continues to be a major problem for kids.  A lot of kids feel like they aren’t taken seriously when they report bullying or they feel like they risk losing their friends.   Although it is a complicated subject there are a few things that are true across the board.  If you are being bullied, contact  an adult, and anybody who bullies you, is not your friend.

Ciji Dodds